Bicycle Tech/Gear Discussion Thread

Jan 23, 2013 at 10:18 AM

Marc Bertucco said:

want:

http://www.cxmagazine.com/challenge-tires-limus-grifo-limusxs3-helen-wyman

(the tyres, not the lady...although she is one cool cat)

Very cool. Challenge is stepping up their game. There was an article earlier this year on cycling new about them moving to cotton casings. That should be a huge step up. Now to figure out where to store 4 tubular wheel sets with different tires...

Brendan Rigby

Jan 23, 2013 at 03:17 PM

sorry if this is thread-hijacking. should i start a new post? seems like the trend is just to use this thread as the "parts" forum. a question for wrenches:

has anyone got experience pressing cartridge bearings into hubs? i've got some bearings on their way to me from the dealer, and the bike shop is going to install them, but i'm thinking that i'd like to do it myself. the bike shop (Bicycle Habitat, the closest Specialized dealer to me and therefore the easiest way to get official bearings for the Roval wheels) is going to install them and urged me to (pay and) take their mechanic class if i want to do it myself. the nice woman in the shop made it seem like replacing bearings was rocket science combined with voodoo magic.

anyone have a bearing press like this one or comments about pressing in bearings? http://www.bocabearings.com/dropin.aspx?f=press-releases/Universal-Bike-Bearing-Installer-Tool.txt

is it worth buying? how often do cartridge bearings need to be replaced? if the bike shop charges $40 to replace the bearings, the press is only $40, and i'll need to do it more than once, seems like i should just do it myself.

Jules

Jan 23, 2013 at 03:17 PM

mperlberg said:

Marc Bertucco said:

want:

http://www.cxmagazine.com/challenge-tires-limus-grifo-limusxs3-helen-wyman

(the tyres, not the lady...although she is one cool cat)

Very cool. Challenge is stepping up their game. There was an article earlier this year on cycling new about them moving to cotton casings. That should be a huge step up. Now to figure out where to store 4 tubular wheel sets with different tires...

Don't worry; since you'll only get them every other year it shouldn't be too much of a problem :P

dstokes

Jan 23, 2013 at 08:47 PM

My understanding is that the only tricky part is aligning the bearings with the frame during the pressing process. They can easily get a little out of alignment and then you have to take them out and try again. Apparently, they are easily damaged during the removal process. So the job of the press is to retain alignment.

You probably found the following page that describes the process. I would love to have someone show me how to do it once so this can be part of my repertoire.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Tech-Tuesday-Overhaul-a-BB30-Bottom-bracket-2012.html

mugwump

Jan 23, 2013 at 09:01 PM

Brendan Rigby said:

has anyone got experience pressing cartridge bearings into hubs? i've got some bearings on their way to me from the dealer, and the bike shop is going to install them, but i'm thinking that i'd like to do it myself. the bike shop (Bicycle Habitat, the closest Specialized dealer to me and therefore the easiest way to get official bearings for the Roval wheels) is going to install them and urged me to (pay and) take their mechanic class if i want to do it myself. the nice woman in the shop made it seem like replacing bearings was rocket science combined with voodoo magic.

anyone have a bearing press like this one or comments about pressing in bearings? http://www.bocabearings.com/dropin.aspx?f=press-releases/Universal-Bike-Bearing-Installer-Tool.txt

is it worth buying? how often do cartridge bearings need to be replaced? if the bike shop charges $40 to replace the bearings, the press is only $40, and i'll need to do it more than once, seems like i should just do it myself.

Brendan,

I have the tool. Bought it three or four years ago. I think I"ve used it once thusfar. Which should be taken as commentary on how often you'll need it. My training front wheel has cartridge bearings. It's basically been my daily front wheel for 20 years. I think it's on a third set of bearings. Rear wheels have more forces acting on them and seem to wear out faster. Still, even these can run without incident for years of daily use, depending on how well the bearings are shielded and how you use the wheel (more time if on the road, less if you're riding offroad).

mperlberg

Jan 23, 2013 at 11:03 PM

So the real solution here is to borrow JPs.

twoyacks

Jan 24, 2013 at 06:52 PM

does an iphone 5 qualify as bike tech? If so, how so? Is there an app I could buy for cycling you people may recommend. It would be nice if I could track my 3 hr rides on the weekend via gps (sorry Jules, 3 hrs. is all the hall pass I get). I have no idea how to use this phone...it is replacing a blackberry that was shit...but easy to use and understand shit as it's capabilities were shit. yack

dstokes

Jan 24, 2013 at 07:50 PM

1) strava.com
2) create an account
3) download app
4) follow malcolmson

twoyacks

Jan 24, 2013 at 08:42 PM

downloaded app....exciting

Bruce van-Schalkwyk

Jan 24, 2013 at 08:51 PM

Not sure how well this would work on the bike, but if you'd like to pepper a nice ride with zombies. . . https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zombies-run!/id503519713?mt=8 https://www.zombiesrungame.com/

mugwump

Jan 24, 2013 at 09:28 PM

What Jersey Mike isn't saying is that he raced his cross bike on the road, got into a break and beat a guy who never got over the embarrassment. It was apparently way worse for this unnamed racer than getting beaten by a "fat" Jeff Owens on a climb offseason.

Jeff Condon

Jan 25, 2013 at 02:04 AM

I use the Cycle Meter app that tracks your route, speed, distance etc. The feature I like is that it automatically emails my wife my location every 30 minutes so she knows I'm alive. With this I think it extends my hall pass.

Jules

Jan 25, 2013 at 02:12 AM

Yaks you can (or should) download an app called "find my phone" which allows anyone with a computer (and your itunes password) to track your location in realtime. There are a number of apps that do this, like Glympse or Cycle Meter but they tend to burn through your battery pretty fast.

twoyacks

Jan 25, 2013 at 03:06 AM

just downloaded cycle meter. will give it a try. I think it would be fun for the wife and kids to check out my progress on a long ride via an iPad.

Dan Reiners

Jan 25, 2013 at 02:55 PM

Chris,
Don't worry, many Kissena's have raced their CX bikes in road races, either when the road bike is in the shop or they want to shame the competition. The only offical requirement is that you have a bicycle in good working order, with two working brakes (Mattio would say that cantis are not brakes, just warning devices to let others know you're going to rear end them.) No forward facing bars, so your CX bike should fit the bill just fine.

dstearns

Jan 25, 2013 at 05:38 PM

CAAD 9/10 fo sho..... But for those rocking a Specialized - check your forks: http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/01/bikes-and-tech/specialized-announces-voluntary-recall-of-12000-forks_272669

tito

Jan 25, 2013 at 06:03 PM

Can I get a consensus on just how crappy SRAM s30 wheels are? They get pretty wack reviews, but I have a line on a super-cheap deal on 'em...

Dan Reiners

Jan 25, 2013 at 06:09 PM

Gotta love the disembodied hand from the Specialized recall story on Velonews.

Phil Maronilla

Jan 25, 2013 at 06:40 PM

I'm going to piggy back on this question and ask, would the gearing on a cross bike, 46/36 up front, make it difficult to stay with the pack in a race?

mugwump

Jan 25, 2013 at 06:46 PM

Tito,

I'm sure they're fine.

tito

Jan 25, 2013 at 06:48 PM

^ shortest JP post ever

Jules

Jan 25, 2013 at 07:10 PM

http://www.bikerumor.com/2013/01/22/november-bicycles-tests-prototype-aero-wheels-w-their-first-proprietary-design/

More on wheels

mperlberg

Jan 25, 2013 at 07:24 PM

I did it with a 48/36 and a 12-25 cassette. I was fine.

Mark Clifford

Jan 25, 2013 at 07:34 PM

"A voluntary recall of the front forks on all models of its 2012 Tarmac SL4..."

Fuck -- that's my bike. Would I be an idiot not to send my fork in? Perhaps I could just sellotape that bad boy. I have to imagine it'll take a long time to get back from Specialized.

Thanks @dstearns for pointing it out!

Phil Maronilla

Jan 25, 2013 at 07:50 PM

Thanks. That's good to know.

Jules

Jan 25, 2013 at 07:55 PM

Canadian Mike has been carpet bombing all the local Stravas with his cross bike; the gearing shouldn't be an issue

Adam

Jan 25, 2013 at 08:54 PM

Send it. They say it should take 2 weeks. In return you will get a new/repaired fork plus $100 of Specialized vouchers.

WilliamDC

Jan 25, 2013 at 09:09 PM

i think perlberg actually won a race on his cross bike last year, but that was only cause the other guys in the break were riding their bmx bikes.

tito

Jan 25, 2013 at 10:07 PM

Wellll...I don't know about the whole 2 weeks thing. We've been dealing with the fork recall here at the shop, and last I heard Spesh doesn't have an ETA for new forks going out. I would try to talk to someone in the warranty dept. and get a straight answer before sending the fork back.

Marc Bertucco

Jan 25, 2013 at 10:15 PM

I would send the fork back before you crash on your face. Just say'n...